Gino Rea Brings In Outside Sponsor To Contest 2014 Moto2 Season

Gino Rea's gamble to self-finance his 2013 wild cards has paid off. Yesterday, the young Londoner announced he would be contesting the full 2014 Moto2 season, in a one-rider team based in the USA. Rea has joined forces with the Austin, Texas based World Motors organization to create the World Motors Rea Racing team. The good news for both Rea and the sport is that the team has also attracted a sponsor from outside of the motorcycle industry. AGT is an induction lighting company providing professional lighting products to industry.

Rea will continue to race an FTR Moto2 machine, one of three FTRs which will be on the grid, with the NGM Forward team also racing the British chassis. The press release from Gino Rea and the AGT Rea team appears below:

AGT REA RACING SET TO COMPETE IN THE 2014 MOTO2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WITH GINO REA​

AGT (American Green Technology) will back World Motors Rea Racing team in their entry to the 2014 Moto2 class of World Motorcycle Grand Prix (MotoGP) on a full-season basis with their rider, Gino Rea.

Dave Peterson, President and CEO of World Motors, Inc., based in Austin, Texas, has joined forces with new Team Director Martin R. de Rooy in conjunction with Dave and Gino Rea of Rea Racing, to create World Motors Rea Racing LLC. Welcoming AGT on board as title sponsor, World Motors Rea Racing will be known as AGT Rea Racing in what will be the only American-based Moto2 World Motorcycle Grand Prix Racing Team.

AGT REA Racing will compete in what is arguably one of the most competitive motorcycling classes in the world with their debut race taking place under the floodlights of Qatar on March 23rd. Team owner Dave Peterson has expressed his excitement.

“We are excited to support our partner and rider Gino Rea in his quest for Moto2 glory in the 2014 World Championship,” states Peterson. “We’d like to thank AGT for all of their support and sponsorship. We look forward to a fun-filled and successful campaign”

Danny Bogar, CEO of AGT, compares the way in which AGT can transform the lighting industry to the rich history of motorcycling and the innovations in technology that are required to compete at an elite level. “Competing in business and sports is like anything else, you have to stay in the game and anticipate your next move and your competitors’ next move. Build a better bike or your competitor will build a better, faster bike. I like the parallels. It’s a fun sport that draws an international audience. We are happy to be a part of it."

AGT Rea Racing rider Gino Rea has made a promising start to his Moto2 career. Debuting in Moto2 in 2012, he found the podium with a third place finish in the Malaysian Grand Prix . Unfortunately, Gino's team withdrew just before the 2013 season and he was forced to run his own team and budget. Joining forces with the Montáže Brož European Superstock 600 team for the latter part of the 2013 season, Gino benefitted from a more professional set up and the support of a bigger crew. Gino’s talent did not go unnoticed and he was invited to substitute for an injured rider in the Argiñano & Ginés Racing Team. Despite the challenge of getting to know a new bike, Gino more than proved his worth, scoring the team four valuable Moto2 World Championship points and delivering their best performances of the season.

Gino had this to say about the new partnership, “I couldn’t be any happier right now! 2013 was a difficult year for me and I’m over the moon that my hard work has brought me this amazing opportunity. Joining forces with Dave Peterson of World Motors Inc. and Martin R. de Rooy with the support of AGT (American Green Technology), to race in the full Moto2 Championship as a permanent team is just incredible. I am so grateful and I can’t wait to get started. It’s a very exciting time for us. We have worked extremely hard to make this happen and I believe we have the potential to do great things in 2014.

"This year we progressed a lot throughout the season and at the last race of the year as a privateer team, I showed what is capable by qualifying just 0.5 tenths from second position. I can't wait to go testing and work logically and methodically with the bike, it's something we never got to do this year."

Peterson further states, “I am just recovering from the initial terror and trepidation of forming an international racing team. After years of dreaming about this, it’s wonderful to see it become a reality. I’ve always had such a great passion for MotoGP. With Gino’s considerable talent and AGT’s quest for world markets, the decision to form a world class Moto2 Grand Prix team was easy and finally a realization of my dreams.”

The 2014 MotoGP season kicks off at Losail International Circuit on March 23, 2014 in Qatar. www.motogp.com

American Green Technology® is a leader in efficient technologies and the manufacture and import of “magnetic induction lights”, the most energy efficient mass lighting solution. Boasting a life span over 100,000 hours, induction lights reduce energy costs by 50-70% and virtually eliminate maintenance. Primary markets include municipal, industrial and commercial applications. More than 1,500 independent lighting professionals represent American Green Technology across the United States, and internationally in more than a dozen countries. For more information about AGT, visit www.agtus.org or call 269-340-9975.

Comments

Great to see a rider with no ride bootstrap his way to success. As if racing at the highest level isn't work enough, Gino had to go put his own team together. I hope the best for him next season. If anyone deserves a few lucky cards, it's definitely him.

Gino, his family and girlfriend have to be massively applauded for their imagination, enterprise and effort in putting together their own Grand Prix team from scratch and developing a new motorcycle on their own to boot. To do this in the tightest class in the paddock and turn competitive lap times last year was nothing short of remarkable - the points tally didn't do justice to one of the unsung hero jobs of 2013.

A young guy thinking outside the box by LAUNCHING HIS OWN BRAND OF COFFEE TO GO RACING is the kind of thinking that some series promoters could do with.

Fully wish them all the best for 2014, especially with the new sponsor on board.